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THE WALK by Michael Card
The author describes his relationship with the college professor who would mentor him in the life of faith. Original.
Mass Market Paperback
First published March 13, 2001
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About the author
Michael Card
111 books96 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which couple folk-style melodies and instrumentation with lyrics that stem from intensive study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, he has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles.He has also authored several books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner A Sacred Sorrow.
http://www.michaelcard.com/#/about-mi...
Michael Card (born April 11, 1957) is an American Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which couple folk-style melodies and instrumentation with lyrics that stem from intensive study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, he has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles.He has also authored several books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner A Sacred Sorrow.
http://www.michaelcard.com/#/about-mi...
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 29, 2021
I loved this story of William Lane's discipleship/mentorship of Michael Card from Michael's days as a student at Western Kentucky University where Bill taught a young Michael until Bill's death due to multiple myeloma. Throughout the book we see Bill pour his life into his students and into Michael. We see how to live out the Christian life. Without Bill's influence on Michael's life, I suspect the world of Christian music would never hear Michael's theologically rich songs. I received this book at a conference and recently found it stuffed in a conference tote that I never fully emptied until my cleaning project. I'm sad I did not read it earlier. I absolutely loved the book. If someone wants to see what Christian discipleship and mentoring in the faith looks like, this book demonstrates it.
December 9, 2018
Over the past semester I have read a number of books on Christian discipleship—being a disciple, making disciples, shaping church ministry toward the goal of discipleship, etc. I would not say any of these popular Christian works have been unhelpful, but I think I should say that none of them has come close to impacting my life as much as Michael Card’s “The Walk.” It could be that my familiarity with and favor toward the author’s musical contributions made my ears wider as I listened to the author’s words—but I think there was much more to it. While many helpful Christian books focus on spiritual disciplines and strategies connected with forming successful discipleship stories, Card’s book is a discipleship story, and it’s reach went beyond my intellect. Doctrine and strategy are important and useful, but it is interesting that Jesus’ own teaching on discipleship was contained within a story. It is in the narrative of the gospels that Christians mine for the golden nuggets of doctrine and strategy. I think it is because Michael Card’s short book, like the gospels, contains teaching alongside of and within a story that it captured my attention on a deeper level. As the subtitle suggests, “The Walk” is “The Life-Changing Journey of Two Friends.” Through ups and downs, faults and foibles, joys and jubilations, triumphs and tragedies, braveries and fears, two friends help each other “unwrap Jesus.” As Card’s mentor, Bill Lane expressed, “When God gives a gift he wraps it in a person.” Bill Lane was God’s gift to Michael Card, but he is also now God’s gift to me through Card’s experience. In a small way I have been able to know Bill Lane through the eyes of Michael Card. The knowledge I have of him—his idiosyncracies, personality, style, reactions to situations, have all become the canvas upon which the truths of Christian discipleship are painted. I am thankful that Michael Card took the time to record his experience with exemplified Christian discipleship and shared it with me.
The format of “The Walk,” is built around “three phases in Jesus’ pattern of discipleship.” The call to be with Jesus, the commissioning of the disciples, and returning to Jesus describes the three basic divisions of the book. Card describes how this pattern, learned from Bill Lane, is applied in his own life:
I wake in the morning, and I’m with Jesus. I learn from Him. I read His Word. I spend time with Him. I realize my commission, and then I go out. I do His work and I speak His word. Then, at the end of the day, I come back and report to Jesus everything I’ve done and everything I’ve said. Now I hear Him say, “Come with Me to a quiet place and get some rest.” (125-126) Card adds, “You can apply the cycle over a day, over a matter of months, or over a lifetime. That was my experience with Bill.” And it is this experience with Bill that the author primarily focuses on; dipping in and out of their walk together in order to concentrate the mind of the reader on a deeper spiritual significance.
One of the best illustrations of this is located in two chapters on what Bill Lane referred to as “the wilderness.” When Michael would “come to Bill with some problem . . . he would look at me as if he understood that more was going on than the often petty, superficial circumstances.” Card takes us back to a young version of himself navigating the dating scene, experience heartbreak along the way. Though such experiences are thought to be commonplace, and therefore “small” perhaps, they are not always small to the person going through them. Bill Lane understood this. I could almost sense him feeling the pain and wishing he could take it upon himself were it not for the benefits such an experience was bringing to the life of Michael. The wilderness is where Sonship is established. In other words, God becomes a true Father to those who are forced to rely on him. Israel learned this while wandering the desert for 40 years. Jesus experienced the same dependency during His 40 days of temptation. Becoming a more true son or daughter of God is a deeper spiritual reality oftentimes hidden by pain.
The formation of Michael Card and Bill Lane’s discipleship relationship itself carried with it the reality of something deeper, something better, something spiritual. Timing is not left up to chance. Before the two met, Lane had recently departed from a Christian seminary under personally difficult circumstances. He also moved from a place where he had experienced close relationships with Christian students into a secular university setting. Longing for someone he could invest himself in and “unwrap Jesus” with, Bill told his wife about a fleece he had laid out. He would pray that God would send him a student he could mentor. He further prayed that whomever this student was would take the initiative by asking him for a block of time. Card did just that in 1975, kicking off a deep relationship that would last 24 years. The two would take daily walks together, even when classes were cancelled due to snow. They shared the intimate details of their lives. In Michael’s words, one of Lane’s goals was to, “wake us up to what is really going on around us, to encourage us to take our eyes off ourselves and see that our world is not the only world.” There was something far more important going on when a young student entered the office of his professor with an academic question. There was a divine encounter for a greater purpose.
The illustration of this concept alone was well worth the read for me. Living in what seems often like a mechanistic world, it is good to be reminded that there is something outside the box. The most relatable chapter for me in the whole book focused on this point. In, “Let the excellence of your work be your protest,” Card describes his frustrations with being a musician in the Christian music industry. He writes: “A bitterness in my heart and soul, caused by focusing on what I believed were the ‘evils’ of the Christian music industry, had almost incapacitated me.” This is a statement I immediately connected with. It seems like almost anywhere I go nowadays I can be in danger of carrying a similar sentiment. Not only do I share Card’s frustration with the Christian music industry, but I see similar problems in “Christian” education, denominational politics, national politics, the direction of culture, etc. I’ve joked with my wife on more than a one occasion that I hope they don’t ruin barbecue too (my favorite food)! Sometimes it feels like I’m scraping the bottom for something that is not going in the wrong direction, something that is still good and has not been tampered with. And while I do believe righteous indignation and discerning critique are necessary, there should be no room for bitterness. Thus Bill Lane’s advise to Michael Card, as he experienced emotions similar to my own, may be the most memorable piece of advise from the book. “If you are going to protest the state of the industry, do so by making your work the best it can be.” Card describes his impression of Lane’s statement:
Yet this is, of course, a naive notion—to combat shallowness and shoddiness with excellence in a world that rewards the former with fame. But this is the kind of child-like naivete that made Bill a man of God. He believe that this world is not all there is, that there is One who will reward us based on a radically different value system. (96-97)
One of my first thoughts after reading this statement was, “This is such an obvious Christian truth, yet I am always forgetting it.” I know I’ve recently been struggling about the idea of publishing material that is out of step with mainstream academia. While I am confident that I am forwarding the truth, the consequences of doing so frighten me. Will I be blacklisted by any organization? Will doors that are open now to me be shut? Will I decrease my chances of having a greater impact in the future? These, and questions like them seem to melt away when I consider the fact that I am not primarily publishing information for people, but rather for God. My reward will not be book sales or positive reviews. It will be hearing “Well done good and faithful servant” on judgement day. Bill Lane understood this, and seemed to consistently live his life with eternity in mind. I can channel my frustration into bitterly complaining or I can make a finer product for my Master,
One chapter of the book that I really appreciated was entitled, “Called to Conflict.” I suspect to many Christians such a title would seem puzzling. Praying together, crying together, studying God’s Word together, making good decisions together, experiencing rest and stress together, learning to truly listen to the voice of God together, and sacrificing for one another are all aspects of a discipleship relationship. They seem acceptable. But conflict? Card asks his readers this question, “Who rejected Jesus?” The answer? “His own family, biblical scholars, [and] those from His own hometown.” Being a disciple of Jesus will mean making enemies. It will mean being misunderstood. But it will also mean being with an all-loving and all-powerful friend forever. Michael Card does not sugar coat the high cost of being a disciple. It requires work and sacrifice, but the rewards are unimaginable. Entering into a human discipleship relationship may include “loving confrontation on one end, ready forgiveness on the other, and vast amounts of patience in between.” But it’s all worth it.
“The Walk” ends like a tear-jerker. Bill Lane is diagnosed with cancer, and eventually passes from this life to the next; but before this happens he gives Michael Card what Card described as the “greatest compliment of [his] life.” He moves across the country to be with Michael to show him how a Christian man faces death. As the book draws to a conclusion Card reflects on the reality of eternity and the way in which he himself changed as a person through knowing Bill Lane during this difficult time. He remarks that he became “more tender-hearted,” and that “tears seem to stay closer to the surface.” Perhaps this is not only part of becoming more like Jesus, but also becoming more human. It is certainly an area I want the Lord to change me in. To take my often times rough and calloused heart, and make it tender before Him. One goal I have now that I have finished this book is to be an older Christian’s Michael Card and a younger Christian’s Bill Lane. May God grant this request to every Christian!
The format of “The Walk,” is built around “three phases in Jesus’ pattern of discipleship.” The call to be with Jesus, the commissioning of the disciples, and returning to Jesus describes the three basic divisions of the book. Card describes how this pattern, learned from Bill Lane, is applied in his own life:
I wake in the morning, and I’m with Jesus. I learn from Him. I read His Word. I spend time with Him. I realize my commission, and then I go out. I do His work and I speak His word. Then, at the end of the day, I come back and report to Jesus everything I’ve done and everything I’ve said. Now I hear Him say, “Come with Me to a quiet place and get some rest.” (125-126) Card adds, “You can apply the cycle over a day, over a matter of months, or over a lifetime. That was my experience with Bill.” And it is this experience with Bill that the author primarily focuses on; dipping in and out of their walk together in order to concentrate the mind of the reader on a deeper spiritual significance.
One of the best illustrations of this is located in two chapters on what Bill Lane referred to as “the wilderness.” When Michael would “come to Bill with some problem . . . he would look at me as if he understood that more was going on than the often petty, superficial circumstances.” Card takes us back to a young version of himself navigating the dating scene, experience heartbreak along the way. Though such experiences are thought to be commonplace, and therefore “small” perhaps, they are not always small to the person going through them. Bill Lane understood this. I could almost sense him feeling the pain and wishing he could take it upon himself were it not for the benefits such an experience was bringing to the life of Michael. The wilderness is where Sonship is established. In other words, God becomes a true Father to those who are forced to rely on him. Israel learned this while wandering the desert for 40 years. Jesus experienced the same dependency during His 40 days of temptation. Becoming a more true son or daughter of God is a deeper spiritual reality oftentimes hidden by pain.
The formation of Michael Card and Bill Lane’s discipleship relationship itself carried with it the reality of something deeper, something better, something spiritual. Timing is not left up to chance. Before the two met, Lane had recently departed from a Christian seminary under personally difficult circumstances. He also moved from a place where he had experienced close relationships with Christian students into a secular university setting. Longing for someone he could invest himself in and “unwrap Jesus” with, Bill told his wife about a fleece he had laid out. He would pray that God would send him a student he could mentor. He further prayed that whomever this student was would take the initiative by asking him for a block of time. Card did just that in 1975, kicking off a deep relationship that would last 24 years. The two would take daily walks together, even when classes were cancelled due to snow. They shared the intimate details of their lives. In Michael’s words, one of Lane’s goals was to, “wake us up to what is really going on around us, to encourage us to take our eyes off ourselves and see that our world is not the only world.” There was something far more important going on when a young student entered the office of his professor with an academic question. There was a divine encounter for a greater purpose.
The illustration of this concept alone was well worth the read for me. Living in what seems often like a mechanistic world, it is good to be reminded that there is something outside the box. The most relatable chapter for me in the whole book focused on this point. In, “Let the excellence of your work be your protest,” Card describes his frustrations with being a musician in the Christian music industry. He writes: “A bitterness in my heart and soul, caused by focusing on what I believed were the ‘evils’ of the Christian music industry, had almost incapacitated me.” This is a statement I immediately connected with. It seems like almost anywhere I go nowadays I can be in danger of carrying a similar sentiment. Not only do I share Card’s frustration with the Christian music industry, but I see similar problems in “Christian” education, denominational politics, national politics, the direction of culture, etc. I’ve joked with my wife on more than a one occasion that I hope they don’t ruin barbecue too (my favorite food)! Sometimes it feels like I’m scraping the bottom for something that is not going in the wrong direction, something that is still good and has not been tampered with. And while I do believe righteous indignation and discerning critique are necessary, there should be no room for bitterness. Thus Bill Lane’s advise to Michael Card, as he experienced emotions similar to my own, may be the most memorable piece of advise from the book. “If you are going to protest the state of the industry, do so by making your work the best it can be.” Card describes his impression of Lane’s statement:
Yet this is, of course, a naive notion—to combat shallowness and shoddiness with excellence in a world that rewards the former with fame. But this is the kind of child-like naivete that made Bill a man of God. He believe that this world is not all there is, that there is One who will reward us based on a radically different value system. (96-97)
One of my first thoughts after reading this statement was, “This is such an obvious Christian truth, yet I am always forgetting it.” I know I’ve recently been struggling about the idea of publishing material that is out of step with mainstream academia. While I am confident that I am forwarding the truth, the consequences of doing so frighten me. Will I be blacklisted by any organization? Will doors that are open now to me be shut? Will I decrease my chances of having a greater impact in the future? These, and questions like them seem to melt away when I consider the fact that I am not primarily publishing information for people, but rather for God. My reward will not be book sales or positive reviews. It will be hearing “Well done good and faithful servant” on judgement day. Bill Lane understood this, and seemed to consistently live his life with eternity in mind. I can channel my frustration into bitterly complaining or I can make a finer product for my Master,
One chapter of the book that I really appreciated was entitled, “Called to Conflict.” I suspect to many Christians such a title would seem puzzling. Praying together, crying together, studying God’s Word together, making good decisions together, experiencing rest and stress together, learning to truly listen to the voice of God together, and sacrificing for one another are all aspects of a discipleship relationship. They seem acceptable. But conflict? Card asks his readers this question, “Who rejected Jesus?” The answer? “His own family, biblical scholars, [and] those from His own hometown.” Being a disciple of Jesus will mean making enemies. It will mean being misunderstood. But it will also mean being with an all-loving and all-powerful friend forever. Michael Card does not sugar coat the high cost of being a disciple. It requires work and sacrifice, but the rewards are unimaginable. Entering into a human discipleship relationship may include “loving confrontation on one end, ready forgiveness on the other, and vast amounts of patience in between.” But it’s all worth it.
“The Walk” ends like a tear-jerker. Bill Lane is diagnosed with cancer, and eventually passes from this life to the next; but before this happens he gives Michael Card what Card described as the “greatest compliment of [his] life.” He moves across the country to be with Michael to show him how a Christian man faces death. As the book draws to a conclusion Card reflects on the reality of eternity and the way in which he himself changed as a person through knowing Bill Lane during this difficult time. He remarks that he became “more tender-hearted,” and that “tears seem to stay closer to the surface.” Perhaps this is not only part of becoming more like Jesus, but also becoming more human. It is certainly an area I want the Lord to change me in. To take my often times rough and calloused heart, and make it tender before Him. One goal I have now that I have finished this book is to be an older Christian’s Michael Card and a younger Christian’s Bill Lane. May God grant this request to every Christian!
November 16, 2016
I struggle with reviewing Michael Card's _The Walk_. It performs two tasks at once: it both recounts his relationship with his mentor, New Testament professor Bill Lane, and also describes the essence of the mentoring / discipleship relationship. It is filled with beautiful insights and powerful moments. However, it doesn't exactly hang together, as these two tasks never quite integrate with each other, and at times, it very much seems to have needed an editor to clean up some infelicities. Of the two tasks, I think that the book is most successful in relating the history of the two men's relationship, and I think that Card could have written much more about this. I wonder if he said less because it was too private, or because he (wrongly) didn't think it would be appreciated.
The attempt to describe the essence of discipleship however did not come together the same way. Combining the two parts together successfully would, I think, have been possible, but would have required an enormous investment of time and art to produce a product in which the idea and the narrative were fully contained in the form. The main idea is that discipleship has three elements, based on the relationship of Jesus with the twelve disciples: the call to be with Jesus; the commissioning of the disciples to go out into the world; and the return of the disciples to Jesus to report and rest. This schematic, however, is not probed deeply enough to really bring out the conceptual / theological content.
The need for this conceptual material appears when the reader attempts to draw connections between the books model of a discipleship relationship, Jesus' relationship with his disciples, and the earthly thing this is a model for, mentoring / discipleship relationships like Card's relationship with Lane. Jesus calls the disciples to "follow me," but the book emphasizes that Lane always waited for someone else to approach him to establish a mentoring relationship. Why is this different? The book doesn't say; Lane said, of mentoring, that "Time is of the Lord," so perhaps he meant that in both cases, it is Jesus who calls; then calling belongs to Jesus only, and not to mentors especially. That might well be right, but the book doesn't explain this. The same applies throughout, and this is why I think that the attempt to lay the narrative and the conceptual content side-by-side doesn't quite come off. The conceptual aspect needs to be more strongly developed so that we can see how the two relationships (Jesus/disciple and mentor/student) hang together and inform each other. In particular, it would be bad if a mentor in a mentoring relationship attempted to act *too much* like Jesus, because Jesus has a perfection and authority that any earthly mentor cannot possess. Perhaps the resolution is that an earthly mentoring relationship has to be understood as a relationship between two disciples of Jesus, where one has been following him longer than the other, and can help the other with the walk.
However, the book does succeed in uniting concept with reality in one important way. The whole book is an attempt to illustrate and manifest the specific idea that "when God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it in a person." This important idea--which is equally profound as a statement of the incarnation as in a statement regarding friends, mentors, and students--the whole book is a testament to, a beautifully poignant presentation of how God blessed Card by giving him Lane as his mentor. It is therefore also an extremely powerful statement of why every disciple of Jesus needs relationships with others. In that ongoing relationship the power of each man to bless the other continually grew and deepened. Communicating this idea is the book's most lasting contribution to the reader.
The attempt to describe the essence of discipleship however did not come together the same way. Combining the two parts together successfully would, I think, have been possible, but would have required an enormous investment of time and art to produce a product in which the idea and the narrative were fully contained in the form. The main idea is that discipleship has three elements, based on the relationship of Jesus with the twelve disciples: the call to be with Jesus; the commissioning of the disciples to go out into the world; and the return of the disciples to Jesus to report and rest. This schematic, however, is not probed deeply enough to really bring out the conceptual / theological content.
The need for this conceptual material appears when the reader attempts to draw connections between the books model of a discipleship relationship, Jesus' relationship with his disciples, and the earthly thing this is a model for, mentoring / discipleship relationships like Card's relationship with Lane. Jesus calls the disciples to "follow me," but the book emphasizes that Lane always waited for someone else to approach him to establish a mentoring relationship. Why is this different? The book doesn't say; Lane said, of mentoring, that "Time is of the Lord," so perhaps he meant that in both cases, it is Jesus who calls; then calling belongs to Jesus only, and not to mentors especially. That might well be right, but the book doesn't explain this. The same applies throughout, and this is why I think that the attempt to lay the narrative and the conceptual content side-by-side doesn't quite come off. The conceptual aspect needs to be more strongly developed so that we can see how the two relationships (Jesus/disciple and mentor/student) hang together and inform each other. In particular, it would be bad if a mentor in a mentoring relationship attempted to act *too much* like Jesus, because Jesus has a perfection and authority that any earthly mentor cannot possess. Perhaps the resolution is that an earthly mentoring relationship has to be understood as a relationship between two disciples of Jesus, where one has been following him longer than the other, and can help the other with the walk.
However, the book does succeed in uniting concept with reality in one important way. The whole book is an attempt to illustrate and manifest the specific idea that "when God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it in a person." This important idea--which is equally profound as a statement of the incarnation as in a statement regarding friends, mentors, and students--the whole book is a testament to, a beautifully poignant presentation of how God blessed Card by giving him Lane as his mentor. It is therefore also an extremely powerful statement of why every disciple of Jesus needs relationships with others. In that ongoing relationship the power of each man to bless the other continually grew and deepened. Communicating this idea is the book's most lasting contribution to the reader.
July 19, 2008
I read this within one hour. I am always interested in friendships, and it is good to be reminded how precious friends are. How refreshing to read about male friendships since that is a mystery to me. I envy the relationship portrayed in the book. Individuals like Dr. Lane also encourage me.
"My Baptist background had conditioned me to be wary of the professors who might seek to tear my faith apart and then leave me to my own devices to piece it back together. I was warned by my elderly Bible teacher to guard myself against people like Bill [Dr. Lane] who were so well schooled that they could win any biblical argument, whether their position was true or not."
"In essence, I had been given the notion that truth is so frail and fagile, it needs to be sheltered and proteceted from those who would seek to shatter it with untruth."
"Instead, Bill would introduce me to the Truth that can stand on its own against the gates of hell itself. This Truth does not shackle a person to a lifetime of defending and protecting it. Instead, this Truth sets us free."
Happy reading!
"My Baptist background had conditioned me to be wary of the professors who might seek to tear my faith apart and then leave me to my own devices to piece it back together. I was warned by my elderly Bible teacher to guard myself against people like Bill [Dr. Lane] who were so well schooled that they could win any biblical argument, whether their position was true or not."
"In essence, I had been given the notion that truth is so frail and fagile, it needs to be sheltered and proteceted from those who would seek to shatter it with untruth."
"Instead, Bill would introduce me to the Truth that can stand on its own against the gates of hell itself. This Truth does not shackle a person to a lifetime of defending and protecting it. Instead, this Truth sets us free."
Happy reading!
August 2, 2022
I’m going to start this review by saying that I’m biased. I love Michael Card and have been a fan of his music for as long as I can remember. I find that, for me, he can break down really complicated biblical stories or texts and make them simple, and that is the highest compliment I can give a writer or teacher.
This book focuses on his relationship with Dr. Bill Lane, his mentor and friend for many years and shows, through that lens, what discipleship can look like. The book is divided into four parts that explain the stages of the discipleship process.
What I’m taking away from this book is that I am still in the first stage: learning to be with Jesus—to walk with him every day and to invite him in to every area of my life. It somehow had literally never occurred to me to pray about my illnesses until I read this book—to invite Jesus to walk with me through them.
I like this book for what it has taught me and for the meditation on grief that it is. Dr. Lane passed away while this book was being written. They had intended to write it together. I think it is all the more powerful a testament to their friendship and discipleship that Card is clearly grieving through its pages. Grief is beautiful. Lament is even more beautiful.
This book focuses on his relationship with Dr. Bill Lane, his mentor and friend for many years and shows, through that lens, what discipleship can look like. The book is divided into four parts that explain the stages of the discipleship process.
What I’m taking away from this book is that I am still in the first stage: learning to be with Jesus—to walk with him every day and to invite him in to every area of my life. It somehow had literally never occurred to me to pray about my illnesses until I read this book—to invite Jesus to walk with me through them.
I like this book for what it has taught me and for the meditation on grief that it is. Dr. Lane passed away while this book was being written. They had intended to write it together. I think it is all the more powerful a testament to their friendship and discipleship that Card is clearly grieving through its pages. Grief is beautiful. Lament is even more beautiful.
November 6, 2018
This is a beautiful book straight from Michael Card's heart. His love for his mentor and friend are clear. It is a fairly quick read. The most meaningful bit to me was, as a longtime fan of Card's music and books and biblical teaching, to learn that at one point he was quite disillusioned with the Christian music business and becoming bitter about it. It was Bill Lane who said, "Let the excellence of your work be your protest." This explained so much for me as I was well aware that both the spiritual depth, combined with superb musical talent, was far beyond most of what is out there on Christian radio. This is not a must read as it is essentially a very personal story, but if you are a Michael Card fan, I would give it a go.
November 12, 2019
The story of Michael and Bill is a challenging illustration of 1 Thessalonians 2:8 "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." We see what Christian discipleship can look like when it's stripped of the modern need of efficiency. We all know life isn't meant to be lived alone but are we willing to obey Jesus' command to go and make disciples in partnership with others who are just as flawed as we are? (By the way, this book is immeasurably better than Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.)
December 23, 2021
This book was part of my assigned reading for my VanagePoint3 class this spring! It is a small but special book about mentorship and discipleship and our walk with Christ - in the peaks and valleys - Christ is with us. This was a special book from Michael's soul, seeing the sacredness of bringing he and Dr. Bill Lange together, with Christ as the center.
January 14, 2022
Card recounts the story of being mentored by William Lane through the metaphor of walking. He intersperses the personal narrative with insights on mentoring and discipleship. There aren't really any earthshattering moments, but it's well written and is a solid introduction to the topic of mentoring and discipleship.
February 8, 2019
The life journey between two men, one seemingly mentoring the other spiritually through stages in life, when in fact, they are mentoring each other. The lessons learned are worth the read - they overcome important mysteries of life while leaning further and further in to Jesus together.
November 24, 2018
Loved it gave you a lot to think about
March 9, 2019
I read this book twice. I find it inspiring.
September 30, 2019
You can read this in one sitting, and you should. A lesson in discipleship by getting a glimpse into a beautiful relationship between Michael card and his mentor, William Lane.
December 2, 2019
A devotional of sorts. Short spiritual memoir of Card's relationship with his mentor. Some insightful comments, but not an especially profound volume.
January 20, 2020
Sweet portrait of discipleship, or friendship between two men of different generations.
March 27, 2021
Real life stories that inspire!
October 23, 2025
A good reminder on our faith journey and how we can lead others closer to Him. Sometimes, we just need the walk. Lots of little reminders and a sweet story.
September 23, 2022
This includes a sweet memoir of the Christian brotherhood of Michael Card and William Lane.
April 2, 2023
A book about two men whose work has brought me great encouragement through the years, musician Michael Card (whose album "In the Beginning" was playing in the room when Jill was born) and William Lane (who wrote what has proved for me the most useful commentary I've encountered, his work on Mark.)
Card writes about Lane as his mentor, as a college instructor and then for a couple of decades after that as a close friend.
The book is a moving story of discipleship, and a reminder of what is worth accomplishing in life. Card writes about Lane never completing what he thought would be his magnum opus, a study of the Apostle Paul. But he writes that he came to see something as more important. "While the call may be to write books or sermons or poems, the deeper call will always be to give ourselves away to others whom God places within our reach."
A short book, well written, is a very good thing.
Card writes about Lane as his mentor, as a college instructor and then for a couple of decades after that as a close friend.
The book is a moving story of discipleship, and a reminder of what is worth accomplishing in life. Card writes about Lane never completing what he thought would be his magnum opus, a study of the Apostle Paul. But he writes that he came to see something as more important. "While the call may be to write books or sermons or poems, the deeper call will always be to give ourselves away to others whom God places within our reach."
A short book, well written, is a very good thing.
April 7, 2021
What a lovely tribute to an amazing man. Dr. Bill Lane, indeed, “by grace, he listened to the deeper call to give himself intimately to his family and friends and students, and as a direct result, what he called his magnum opus will never be finished.” What accomplished scholar drops everything and drives to the rice fields of eastern Arkansas to perform a humble wedding just because he was asked by an adoring student? Our life direction was formed in part due to this amazing servant of Christ. We will ever be grateful for the love and energy he put into us. This is a lovely example of discipleship. So glad Michael wrote this and that we found it!!!
November 9, 2012
This is the story of a man and his mentor. A book that tells the journey of christian discipleship. My husband and I read most of this a few months ago and recently picked it up and read it aloud one more time. Read it with someone you walk life with - it provokes gratitude, humility and silence.
December 31, 2010
Wonderful story of friendship and mentoring. A look into two hearts and some very practical steps on what it takes to be a mentor and be mentored.
November 5, 2011
Nice easy read about the long friendship between Michael Card and Bill Lane. Definitely a personal challenge for me to seek out that type of mentor.
May 20, 2012
Beautiful story.
April 26, 2017
Great insights into mentoring, plus several hints at what makes Michael Card, Michael Card.
December 30, 2016
Good book, easy read. Had to read it for a leadership development program that we were doing but it was surprisingly great. The book tells the story of a mentor and mentee! It's great.
March 19, 2013
Such a sweet story of a deep and meaningful friendship!
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